Snow Blind
The Joes team up with the Oktober Guard in the Arctic but what are Cobra doing there? Issue summary The Bering Strait between Alaska and the Soviet Union has frozen. A Joe C130 flies over it and spots a column of Soviet BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carriers, led by the Oktober Guard commander Colonel Brekhov, supported by Daina and Horrorshow. Each crew wonders what the other is doing so close to the border, despite the Glasnost thawing of the Cold War. Suddenly a meteorological warning about a large storm goes out, then the Oktober Guard discover their radio is being jammed. Nearby a pack of Cobra W.O.L.F.es go into attack, commanded by a Techno-Viper and crewed by Ice-Vipers. They attack the Soviet column knocking out all but the command vehicle. The Joes spot the damage and then the departing W.O.L.F.es, and Wild Bill deduces the Cobras are heading south to where the ice ends so they can meet a submarine. He, Slipstream and Airborne ask the ground crew - Frostbite, Snow Job and Avalanche - whether they want to be set down in the Snow Cat with a storm coming on. The three Arctic Joes are eager and so the C130 makes a Low Altitude Parachute Ejection System (LAPES) drop of the Snow Cat, which speeds into action. The Snow Cat soon reaches the W.O.L.F.es and evades their missiles through a combination of an infra-red suppression system and Frostbite taking the vehicle into a controlled skid. W.O.L.F. #3 is destroyed by its own missile and a Toxo-Viper commanding W.O.L.F. #4 declares he can do better. The Snow Cat's missile turret is hit but then the Oktober Guard BTR attacks and destroys the W.O.L.F. The Joes and Oktober Guard discuss their vehicles' weaknesses - the Snow Cat has only one ski missile left but is fast whilst the BTR is slow but has a full load of rockets. They agree to combine their forces to follow the remaining three W.O.L.F.es to the water. Later as they head south they see the W.O.L.F.es moving from three abreast formation to single-file. Brekhov suddenly deduces this is a battle tactic and orders a course change. They discover there are only two W.O.L.F.es moving, so the third has stopped somewhere to ambush them. Up ahead the third W.O.L.F. notes their pursuers are circling behind them. The Joes and Oktober Guard stop their vehicles and use snow to cool them to hide the heat signatures, then Snow Job dons skis whilst Horrorshow releases a flare. The W.O.L.F. sends a ski missile, revealing its location and Snow Job sets off, whilst Horrorshow extinguishes the flare, so the missile loses its target. Snow Job plants a magnetic charge on the W.O.L.F. and skies off as it explodes. The Joes and Guard turn to pursue the others, but Daina reports the two W.O.L.F.es briefly dropped off the screen and then returned with weaker signals. As they head south Frostbite thinks something isn't right and slows the Snow Cat down. Brekhov orders the BTR to overtake and it heads on in limited visibility, going over the edge of the ice. The Guardsmen are rescued by the Joes and Frostbite explains that they were following two low thrust ski missiles set up as decoys whilst the W.O.L.F.es headed back north. He explains that the entire trip was a diversion and that Cobra must have operations near Brekhov's ice survey that they wanted kept secret. With the wind blowing from the north the Snow Cat's heat signature is disguised as it runs slow, allowing it to sneak up on the Cobras. The two W.O.L.F.es pass through the wreckage of the other BTRs and signal their approach. A Terror-Drome arises from beneath the ice and the hatch opens. Inside a lot of heat is being produced by transmitters beaming "paranoia-inducing U.L.F. waves" at both the Americans and Soviets to prolong tensions as otherwise the two superpowers might turn their attention to Cobra. The Snow Cat sneaks up and Avalanche and Horrorshow take its last ski missile and aim it at the Terror-Drome's open hatch. The missile locks onto the heat, speeds in and destroys the Terror-Drome. Soon both the C130 and Oktober Guard's Orlan arrive to retrieve their crews. Wild Bill asks what has been going on and hopes there won't be international repercussions, but Frostbite responds he has good references. Featured Characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment Errors Items of note * Toxo-Vipers are known in Cobra slang as the "Leaky Suit Brigade". * The Toxo-Vipers seen aspire to a higher rank, hoping to become Crimson Guardsmen. *In the United Kingdom the story was reprinted in The Incredible Hulk Presents #10, #11 & #12. Footnotes Category:Marvel Comics issues